Amazing news today! It has been announced via a press release that Teddy Ruxpin will be relaunching yet again! This marks a fifth generation of the toy and will be manufactured by Wicked Cool Toys with offices in both the US and Hong Kong. The relaunch is being touted as going global, implying that many other countries will have access to the latest version of Teddy himself. Alchemy II has of course partnered with the toy manufacturer to make sure that the love, charm and nostalgia of the original series is brought back to life. Read more about the exciting update here, and check back at TMP for more updates!

Yay! A couple of years ago, I saw a French Playskool Teddy Ruxpin listed on eBay, and I thought it was adorable (I had the Playskool version of Teddy growing up, so this specific version holds a special place in my heart) and I was also taking French in college at the time -- how perfect! Unfortunately due to timing, I missed out on the auction. Luckily, however, the lovely BlueOctopede won it and posted a really great YouTube video of him in action (check it out here). 

Fast forward a few years, and another one finally became listed on eBay! Although it came in practically mint condition with the box and all plastic packaging, the animatronics only work partially. His eyes move, but the mouth is doing the classic "I want to move, but my rubber band belts have stretched too far to gain traction". It's okay though, because he still looks and sounds beautiful! I hope to get him restored when I find the right restorer, as Playskool Teddies are tricky.

I'm so excited to share pictures of the unboxing with you as you can see in the slideshow below. Notice that this Teddy is the tan colored Playskool Teddy, not the darker WOW/Playskool Teddy. However, Worlds of Wonder and Alchemy II are still credited on the tags, and almost everything is completely in French. I love it! Interestingly enough if you remember, all other international versions of Teddy produced by Worlds of Wonder were distributed by Mattel, not Playskool. The instruction manual from the box also lists other titles available for French Playskool Teddy Ruxpin, which include Le Bateau Volant (The Airship), Teddy en Hiver (Teddy's Winter Adventure), L'Histoire des Fobs (The Story of the Faded Fobs), and Le Monde des ours (All About Bears). 

Enjoy!

❤ Elle